Elder Barton gave his family a challenge this week. I would also pass along this challenge to those who read his blog.
Okay so update for the week. I'll start on Wednesday since I e-mailed y'all on Tuesday.
So Wednesday I went on exchanges. I went to Copperfield with Elder Christensen and the day started off bad because I woke up and I had a stiff neck. I could not turn my head to the left without getting terrible pain, plus my head was tilting to the right a bit so I looked like a total dork! But the exchange went well. We tracted and taught a lesson to one of their investigators who is 14 (also found out yesterday that she got her answer to be baptized).
Then Thursday rolls around and it was a super weird feeling because that is my district's year mark, I mean one year ago I was entering the MTC, how crazy is that! So it was cool to see my Elders party it up. But it was weird not to party with them since I haven't hit my year mark. It was kind of depressing in a way, but not, if that makes sense :) Well, Elder Hill and I did our weekly planning and I finally got my "Preach My Gospel" manual laminated. We then taught a lesson to Edith, an RC (and later she finally got a job - she is stoked). We then met with Sister Stamps and taught her a lesson about why we have trials because she was having a super down day. Elder Hill and I then went.... can you guess it?....... Tracting! Woot woot! While we were tracting we came across a man. Elder Hill did an approach and this man right off the bat started to say how Mormons don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Well I pointed out on the Book of Mormon that it says"Another Testament of Jesus Christ" and Elder Hill opened up to a scripture saying that Jesus will be born of Mary and He will be called the Son of God. But the whole time this man kept saying "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ!" over and over again. Well, after like the 100th time this man said that, Elder Hill and I were getting frustrated and started telling him how he was rebuking Christ and he doesn't have the authority to rebuke anyway. But he goes on saying how the Bible is the only true word of God and that he doesn't discriminate against anyone. We went to leave because the spirit wasn't there, so Elder Hill went to go shake his hand and the man said "NO not while you are holding that Mormon book" so I went to shake his hand and he said "No you are a Mormon I will not shake your hand" and this was after he said he doesn't discriminate against anyone, but whatever. Oh also we were tracting again and I saw another man building a fence, so I went up to him and offered any help. He of course, declined, and I did my approach line and he asked if we were Mormons and I said we sure are, and then he says that all Mormons should be killed. He kept saying that we should all be shot because of what happened at the mountain meadows massacre. I tried to tell him that the church didn't support that, and also that Brigham Young didn't authorize that, and that those involved were excommunicated, but he kept saying we should be killed right to my face. But hey it's Texas what can you do right? Just gotta laugh it off and go knock on the next door.
Well, on Friday, we had district meeting and we were given new and exciting instruction for the whole mission. We have been told that we are to go and encourage members of the church to create profiles on http://mormon.org/ and also we are to study the website weekly by going on at least one hour each week, and this cannot be done on P-Day, so we can share it with non-members since the site will be changing often. We also are getting new pass-along cards to advertise the new site. So this is just saying a lot since we are getting an hour to be on the computers besides P-Day, so this is very important. So my challenge to you, family (Mom, Dad, Jessica, and Deanna), go onto http://mormon.org/ and make a profile! I hope to hear by next P-Day that y'all have done so. If you need additional info check out the January issue of the Ensign.
Well going on with the day, Elder Hill and I tracted most of the day till about 7:30 p.m. When we were driving down Highway 6 waiting on the left turn signal on West Little York. While we were waiting, Elder Hill and I were talking and out of nowhere *BAM* we are flying forward, our backpacks are going forward, our lose money is flying backwards, dust stuff is flying backwards. We were just rear ended! We get out of the car thinking that it was the guy behind us, but after doing a quick survey of the scene, I noticed it was actually the car behind him, so it was just a domino effect. So we make sure the guy behind us is okay. We then go to check on the guy behind him who was an old man, but when we asked him if he was okay he said that he didn't hit anyone..... Okay, well sir, look at the front of your car you hit someone.... "I didn't hit anybody" Sir come out and look at your car (The front said the whole story - it was jacked!) He comes out and says "it's a little crinkled" haha! Well I point out that his license plate is on the ground, but he claims that it wasn't his.... okay so the old man is drunk - fantastic. Well we tell everyone to pull off into the parking lot since we could all drive and didn't want to cause further traffic. We all do, except the old man picks up his license plate and drives off! But luckily y'all raised me to be a smart kid and I got his license plate number. In the end Elder Hill and I are okay and so is our car, Claire :) And I learned that I shouldn't judge so quickly like in the Hymn "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" it says "Who am I to judge another when I walk imperfectly?"
Well that's all for now, I am out of time. Hope y'all have a fantastic week and I love each of you!
Love, Elder Barton
